Archive for the 'Places to go with kids' Category

Yeah I cannot believe that I actually typed that. But it’s true – my eyes were glued to the show for 2 hours straight!

All my favourite Disney princesses took turns to perform. Imagine this lineup. Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs, Aladdin & Jasmine, Ariel, Rapunzel, Anna & Elsa, and then followed by all of the Disney Princesses at one go! Pretty much a breathless situation for me when that happened, I must say.

I WENT “WAHHHHHHHH!!!” and “OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!” all the way. Actually, coming to think of it, I was more animated than my girls. They were just keeping it cool by munching on their popcorn and whispering to each other.

But really, you must not miss Disney On Ice, especially if you have little girls who are at that stage of liking anything pink or princessy. It’s so much better than the previous Disney On Ice shows that we have been too! Even my girls agreed.

And pssst! Anna and Elsa from Frozen has the longest segment, just so that you know! 🙂

Disney On Ice is not just for the little girls or kids. Why, almost every adult was singing along to all the Disney songs from the different tales!

Some of the songs that I remember singing along (very loudly) to were:

A Whole New World (Aladdin)

I See The Light (Tangled)

Part Of Your World (Little Mermaid)

Under The Sea (Little Mermaid)

Love Is An Open Door (Frozen)

Let It Go (Frozen)

To make things even sweeter, my girls got the once-in-a-lifetime cart-ride experience on the ice together with Aladdin, Genie and Jasmine!

Yes, that happened while they were performing! I had goosebumps when I took videos of my girls. At that moment, I actually whispered to myself “OMG SO MAGICAL!”

Okay perhaps I should not type so much because you are only left with….

Dive deep into the East Australian Current with your favorite school of fish from Disney•Pixar’s Finding Dory when Dory, Nemo and Marlin set off on an adventure to discover the true meaning of family.

Travel to the wintry world of Arendelle with Anna and Elsa and the hilarious snowman Olaf from Disney’s Frozen as they learn how powerful a love between sisters can be.

Reach for your dreams with Rapunzel, as her determination illuminates her inner strength.

Experience the beauty of Walt Disney’s first animated feature film, as Snow White creates her own happily ever after with the help of seven new friends.

Indulge in an exhilarating footstomping hoedown with Buzz and Woody, prowl the Pride Lands of Africa with Simba, Timon and Pumbaa, learn the meaning of true friendship with Jasmine, Aladdin and Genie, and watch your favourite Disney Princesses take to the ice to showcase the courage and perseverance that led them to achieve their dreams.

WOW!

Thank god opening night will be a day after we come back from our Krabi trip because we are finally going for the opening!

I cannot wait to see this skating spectacular with my girls!

One character that I know my girls (and many other kids out there) will be looking forward to watch is Elsa!

Doesn’t she look magical?

Expect to see your favourite Disney characters like:

Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy

Elsa, Anna and Olaf from Frozen

Dory and Marlin from Finding Dory

Snow White and her seven new friends

Buzz and Woody from Toy Story

Simba, Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King

Jasmine, Aladdin and Genie from Aladdin

Rapunzel

Tickets can be purchased from www.sportshubtix.sg with family friendly tickets starting from just $25

And strictly for my blog readers only, I have:

A FAMILY PACK OF 4 CATEGORY 1 TICKETS TO GIVE AWAY!

Day of show: 15 March 2017, Wednesday

Time: 6.30pm

Venue: Singapore Indoor Stadium

I will announce the winner on 3 March 2017!

Want to be the lucky winner? Simple.

Buy me one grande iced latte Follow me in either Instagram (click HERE) or Facebook (click HERE), and wait up for the Disney on Ice giveaway which will happen anytime from now!

I have been sending my girls to enrichment classes ever since they were three! Of course, the younger they are, the easier it is to tame our kids and to sculpt them the way we want them to be.

But our kids, like plants, will only grow well if all the conditions for growth are met. It is really not so much about the technique.

More often than not, parents like myself will get overly concerned about the kids’ studies and behaviour. The moment we think they need help on a particular subject, we will start panicking and look around for tuition classes.

WHY?

We want them to do well in school, that’s why!

So when I heard of this Secrets to Exam Success Seminar , I was intrigued to attend it and find out for myself whether it would be of any use to my kids, and my husband and me as parents.

FREE ADMISSION, SOME MORE!

Besides, it would be a good way to spend our weekend together – by attending a workshop as a family!

Time to get the husband more involved! LOL

CAN YOU SPOT TATEK? HAHAHAHA.

Parents, why are we only thinking on the surface most of the time? Why do we focus so much on how to change our kids’ behaviour?

Isn’t true growth actually more about the maturation of their emotional system and how they can bring themselves to express their inner world into language? As we all know it, the bigger our kids get, the bigger their emotions will get and the tougher it will be for us to reach out to them.

Suria Mohd who is no stranger really, if you ask me, conducted the workshop.

WHO IS SURIA MOHD?

Suria’s biography is quite lengthy since she has done so much for the past few years!

Let me break it down for you.

She was a former school teacher and had taught in both elite and neighbourhood schools.

She is a mother of 2 kids.

She is a 3X Amazon best selling author

She is a celebrity nutritionist and have appeared in various TV programs, local newspapers and even on the cover of magazines. (Not a surprise since she is quite a stunner! HEHE).

She is a motivator, trainer and public educator, and gives regular talks at HPB’s events and forums.

She provides Positive Parenting seminars and workshops

She provides business coaching for start ups

And the list can pretty much go on and on and on.

INDEED A SUPERWOMAN.

Is Suria Mohd qualified to give talks then?

Let me see:

She received her Nutrition degree from Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia and completed an exchange program with Illinois State University, USA.

Suria attained a Postgraduate degree in the teaching of Food Science and Nutrition Studies from NTU/NIE Singapore

She taught Nutrition in secondary schools

I BELIEVE SHE IS MORE THAN QUALIFIED.

The workshop was truly inspirational, and it made all of us cry like babies at the end of it.

I am not kidding you.

Read on.

So what was the workshop about?

Suria Mohd covered the following:

Five top secrets and shocking truths why smart students fail or underachieve in school

Steps to help our child overcome low self-esteem

Twelve MUST HAVE power techniques to help improve our child’s grades

Six different ways our child can tap into his/her brain’s full genius potential

Top brain booster foods for exam smart brains.

How to make our child more motivated, confident and eager to study

One Skill that can help our child do well

NAH. A LITTLE PREVIEW FOR YOU.

Suria Mohd even shared with us some really awesome apps which we can download for our kids to play!

One good way to unleash their genius potential is via the apps which Suria Mohd recommended to us parents during the workshop.

WHAT APPS?

You go attend the workshop lah to find out.

I AM NOT TELLING!!

Come on, to tell our kids that they are not allowed to play with their phones or ipads is a bit ridiculous because almost everything involves technology these days. That said, our kids need to be IT SAVVY! It’s definitely an essential skill!

But of course, we need to constantly monitor what they are watching or playing online so that they do not get lost in their own world.

Listening to Suria Mohd made me guilty for always focusing on how to improve my kids’ grades rather than how to help them help themselves.

But what choice do we really have, especially if we are living in Singapore?

As parents, we only want to bring out the best in our kids.

And as such, we are always so ready to spend lots of money on private tuitions despite seeing no or little improvements.

Imagine this.

We spend $200 per child on tuition.

In a year, that’s about $2400

In 6 years (primary school), that’s $14,400

In 10 years (primary plus secondary school), that’s $24,000

And that’s only one child!

Imagine if we have more than one child!

I HAVE FOUR KIDS LEYYYYYYYY!

THAT’S A SUPER HUGE INVESTMENT WITH RESULTS HARDLY GUARANTEED!

It’s not just about having a high IQ.

EQ is just as important, if not more important.

Have we ever thought about this?

Kids with high EQs (also known as emotional intelligence) are known to be overall better performers in school than those with only high IQs

And that’s what Suria Mohd stressed on during the 2 hours workshop.

When our kids are equipped to handle high-pressure situations like exams better than their counterparts, they will perform better.

It’s a no brainer, really.

And don’t we want our kids to continue to have good relationships with us?

Suria Mohd tapped into a place deep inside ourselves, and we ended up in buckets of tears by the end of the workshop. I cried. My girls cried. I suspected my husband cried too. (Men and their ego!)

It was so impactful, really. Crying in a way, is a survival mechanism – most of the time, it is a signal that we need to address something. And that was what happened during the workshop – Suria Mohd made us realise how much we love each other and how we have often let daily routines and the stress of life affect our relationship.

I shall not divulge too much because you need to attend the workshop with your kids in order to find out for yourself.

You will cry too, but you will definitely feel so good after that, trust me!

Suria Mohd will also be conducting other workshops during the March holidays, so take a look and try to attend them with your kids! Trust me, she is really good!

THANK YOU SURIA FOR MAKING US CRY! HAHAHAHAHAH.

The next workshop will be on:

Sunday 19 February 2017(that’s tomorrow! you still have time to sign up!)

Sunday, 26 February 2017

If you have kids who will be sitting for the big exams like PSLE, must go for this one! Trust me, it’s really something!

Now that I have Shakeel, baby fairs is a must go because they usually have everything I need under one super humongous roof!

I don’t know about you but baby fairs like Baby Baby Exhibition are just so therapeutic.

In any case, time to shop for yourself and your baby this Christmas!

Yes! Baby Baby Exhibition is back!

For the first time ever, exciting exhibitors and brands such as SweeTooth, Tokidoki, Blackmores, Kalila Organics, Kippins and Young Living will be joining the Baby Baby fair.

They will also offer essentials from popular brands such as Philips Avent, Spectra, Capella, Aveeno, Parklon, Lamaze and more!

It’s the best time to stock up on milk powder and diapers from MamyPoko, Moony, Huggies, Pampers, GOO.N, Gain IQ, Friso, Enfagrow, Nestle NAN, Similac and more!

There will be over 500 Brands & Star Buys and stand a chance to win fantastic prizes such as strollers, toys, a staycation package and more in their Lucky Draw! Have fun in their specially curated Lifestyle Area with the Stroller Park, Demo Stage and more!

Stroller Park? What’s that?

At the Stroller Park, you can actually test drive strollers on actual terrains!

Demo Area is where there will be talks from renowned experts speaking on important topics such as Infant Massage, Babywearing and health-related topics!

Plus be among the first 20 to register and come down for the session to receive a limited edition goodie bag (worth over $10)!

There will also be Super Crazy Deals at 2 pm daily with more than 2,000 items with the lowest prices guaranteed! Prices are as Low as $5 so do be sure to be the first few ones in line! Crazy deals will include breast pumps, Car Seats, Carriers, Bouncers and more!

MUST GO OKAY!

Disclaimer: Please note that photos are from last year’s event, so not all brands shown will necessarily be at this year’s fair. Check out the website for the fully updated list of vendors. Other T&Cs apply

So I brought them and my good friend Sabby to Doughworkz family bonding class the other time! The husband had a soccer match so he could not accompany us, unfortunately.

But anyway.

WHAT IS DOUGHWORKZ FAMILY BONDING CLASS PLEASE?

Doughworkz by PastaMania is a monthly pasta and pizza making class customised for children from 4 to 12 years old.

At Doughworkz, children become mini masterchefs and make their own pizza from scratch! Yes, they will be given their own chef’s hat and apron.

Plus, they will also get to enjoy their handmade pizza at the end of the session too.

My girls were really excited to know that they would be making their own pizza. But right before they started with the pizza making, they were introduced to the basics of food preparation hygiene by the friendly Doughworkz team! They also got to learn interesting facts about pasta and pizza to expand their food knowledge.

Let’s make pizza now!

Step 1

First, make sure the surface is clean and dry. Heap flour onto it.

The girls did not have to make the dough from scratch because the Doughworkz team already demonstrated how to make the dough and shaped it into balls for all the participants.

Step 2

So the next step is to use the pressure of both hands to flatten the dough.

Step 3

Then, use the fingertips and middle of fingers to gently stretch into a flat circle. Keep pushing the edges out until you get the desired size.

Step 4

Spread the sauce evenly on the base.

Step 5:

Since the theme for the class the other day was Halloween, the challenge was for the participants to decorate the pizza with the toppings and make it as scary looking as possible! Of course I had to get myself involved in this activity. So I helped Mysha with the decorating part!

Sabby was so engrossed with her pizza too!

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Sharleez’s Pizza!

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Mysha’s Pizza

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Myreen’s Pizza

Step 6:

Time to bake the pizza!

Look at my proud girls with their baked pizza!

Step 7:

Time to eat!

No pizza will ever taste as fresh as it does when you eat it straight from the oven! And we got to do just that during the Doughworkz class!

Oh guess what?

Mysha was one of the winners for the BEST DECORATED PIZZA! Sabby’s pizza won too! They each won a scoop of ice-cream!

HURRAYYYYYY!

My girls had lots of fun kneading the dough and decorating their own pizza, definitely. I had a lot of fun too snapping their photos and helping them out with the pizza making. Definitely a great way to bond with the kids!

One thing for sure, it was not THAT EASYto knead the dough to the perfect shape, size and thickness! Thank goodness the Doughworkz guys were always around to assist us!

At the end of the class, my little chefs got to bring home with a goodie bag of mini apron, chef hat, certificate and a photo of them in the cute getup.

But of course we did not go home right away. How could we leave PastaMania without dining there? Wait a minute, you do know that Pastamania is halal-certified right?

Everyone ordered the usual.

Seafood Marinara for me!

Carbonara Pasta for Sabby

And kids’ meals for my girls!

I totally forgot to order my favourite Banana Pizza! You must try their Banana Pizza, guys! Its basically thin crust pizza with banana and chocolate shavings toppings.

YUMMYYYYYYYY!

Doughworkz kid’s class is at $28 per child and family bonding class cost $55 per parent and child pair.

You can book a session for your kid or with their friends for a fun get-together party! Sounds like fun!

The classes are available at:

PastaMania Sengkang Sports & Recreation Centre

PastaMania Singapore Management University (SMU)

PastaMania NEX

My girls and the other participants each received these too at the end of the class:

Certificate of Participation with their photo

Doughworkz Notebook & Stickers

Doughworkz Sling Bag

Pastamania apron

Doughworkz chef hat

Readers who quote ETRANGLE when signing up for the Nov or Dec classes will get a special rate of $25 per child and $45 per parent & child pair for the family class.